Covered in creeping ivy and sporting huge holes in its once stately viewing dome, the former Warner and Swasey Observatory on Hanover Drive in East Cleveland still retains much of its academic grandeur even though it still sits abandoned after its last owner was sent to jail.

The Taylor Road observatory was gifted to the Case School of Applied Science in 1919 by the Warner and Swasey telescope company. The original building was a simple domed tower construction with a powerful telescope that took advantage of the relatively undeveloped Cleveland sky that was at the time, much more free of light pollution. The site continued to develop down the decades, growing with more buildings and facilities, but unfortunately by 1950 the growth of the nearby city was shining too much ambient light into the night sky and the telescope had to be moved into a new location in Arizona. The Taylor Road facility continued to conduct astronomical research into the 1970s but the site was completely abandoned in 1982.

Vines and decay accumulated on the walls as time and neglect took their toll on the observatory, however it was finally repurchased in 2005 by real estate mogul Nayyir Al Mahdi who planned on turning the site into a luxury home. Unfortunately his renovation plans nose-dived in 2007 when he was convicted of fraud and sent directly to jail.

Today the observatory continues to stand off Taylor Road, decaying with the beauty and color of the stars it once used to gaze upon.

Sign up for our newsletter and get the best of Atlas Obscura in your inbox.

Stay in Touch!

No purchase necessary. Winner will be selected at random on 10/01/2019. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). Offer subject to change without notice. See contest rules for full details.

Add Some Wonder to Your Inbox

Every weekday we compile our most wondrous stories and deliver them straight to you.

We'd Like You to Like Us

We value your privacy

Atlas Obscura and our trusted partners use technology such as cookies on our website to personalise ads, support social media features, and analyse our traffic. Please click below to consent to the use of this technology while browsing our site. To learn more or withdraw consent, please visit our privacy policy.